Conclusion

This concluding chapter demonstrates the concept of the stained-glass labyrinth by providing an overview of gendered barriers identified in each chapter and ways different types of gendered organizational processes reinforce normative gender structure both within these organizations and in broader society. It illustrates how gendered processes on the individual, interactional, organizational, and societal levels are mutually reinforcing in ways that result in unequal outcomes between men and women. In particular, this chapter illustrates how normative gender structure within CBF congregations presents barriers for women pastors in these contexts thereby reinforcing their underrepresentation in leadership positions. Finally, this chapter reiterates previous chapters by emphasizing organizational (structural) change. Instead of exclusively expecting women pastors to adopt strategies to maneuver better through organizational gendered barriers and resist sexism, this work calls on organizations to change the gender structure itself so that women no longer have to clear unequal and sizeable hurdles on their paths to pastoral positions and in their positions as pastors. For it is only through structural change that gender equality can be fully realized.

Preacher Woman

Chapter 7 presents instances in which fellow church staff members fail to see or understand fully the effects of gender structure and, therefore, often simultaneously function as allies as well as additional barriers in the pursuit of gender equality within congregations. This chapter also examines the particular standpoint of women pastors and how their experiences of exclusion and marginalization inform their social justice–oriented and riskier approaches to their jobs as compared to men pastors. While these approaches are often evaluated positively by social justice–minded congregants, some congregants described women pastors’ leadership approaches as “agenda driven” or “biased.” While this was not a key barrier in the context of this study, it may serve as a barrier in less social justice–oriented congregations. Finally, the chapter examines barriers to feminist initiatives that occur on the congregational level and emphasizes the importance of listening to the voices of women.

Women’s Path to the Pulpit

Chapter 2 presents the life histories of women pastors and reveals the gendered barriers they face from childhood to becoming a pastor within the context of Baptist life. This chapter shows how women ministers face gendered barriers on their professional paths from childhood to adolescence to college to seminary to securing a pastoral position and after. These gendered hurdles include exclusionary theology reinforced by interactions with pastors, parents, and trusted peers, as well as a lack of opportunities for professional development, engaging same-sex role models, and family support. Women’s internalization of these barriers largely contributes to inner conflicts about pursuing the pastoral ministry and ultimately results in an indirect career trajectory.

Women’s Work

Chapter 6 surveys the historical relationship between feminization and devaluation, particularly as it relates to work and compensation. This chapter illustrates how more feminized church positions like children’s pastors and office managers are often constrained by assumptions associated with their position; those occupying these positions are typically understood in relation to femininity and, therefore, overworked, underpaid, and underresourced. This chapter also shows how more masculinized positions like associate pastors are perceived as more feminine when occupied by a woman and, therefore, subsequently carry less monetary status and overall value. Finally, this chapter presents connections between feminized work and the persistence of the gender wage gap within pastoral positions.

The Gendered Pastor

Chapter 1 first provides a historical account of events leading to the formation of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). It also serves as the theoretical foundation of the book and offers an in-depth description of Acker’s concept of gendered jobs. This chapter presents quantitative data illustrating the gendered division of labor across the entire CBF and utilizes survey data to explore congregants’ conceptions of the ideal pastor in relation to gender. This chapter illustrates how the position of senior pastor conflates with leadership and authority and, therefore, is inherently masculinized despite some feminized expectations. This means that if congregants assume essential gender differences between men and women beyond anatomy, then women will be less likely to secure these positions.

Gender “Neutral” Hiring Processes

Chapter 3 examines congregational hiring processes, which are most often perceived by congregants as “gender neutral.” This chapter draws on interview data to reveal hiring committees’ aversion to an “affirmative action” approach and shows that their failure to recognize the gendered hurdles faced by women prior to the job market actually results in masculinized hiring processes rather than gender-neutral ones and reinforces sexist hiring decisions. It also explores the conscious and unconscious gender biases of hiring committee members, which inevitably play a role in hiring decisions. Specifically, this chapters highlights congregants’ preferred hiring criteria, which are commonly understood as “gender neutral,” and shows how these seemingly neutral preferences actually result in unequal outcomes for women. For instance, while hiring senior pastors, congregations often preferred younger pastors who also have senior pastor or associate pastor experience. Some congregants also preferred pastors with direct and clear career trajectories. These seeming gender-neutral preferences disproportionately advantage men because women often connect with their callings and find opportunities for professional development later in life as a result of the gendered hurdles they face on their ways to the job market. This chapter further explores congregants’ unconscious gender biases, which often assumed men and women to be different but equal. However, congregants failed to understand how these assumed differences ultimately advantaged men in the pursuit of pastoral leadership.

The Body

Chapter 4 illustrates how congregants’ perceptions of women’s bodies prove incongruent with their preferred conceptions of authority and leadership. It then draws on interview data to show how women pastors are simultaneously expected to conceal and accentuate their femininity, are sexualized by male congregants as they engage in leadership tasks, and face organizational expectations about their weight and appearance that are often contradictory. Moreover, this chapter demonstrates how gendered congregational perceptions related to the body create impossible and additional expectations for women pastors that are not applied in the evaluation of male pastors’ performances. Finally, this chapter highlights how women maneuver through these organizational barriers in ways that are perhaps necessary to succeed but ultimately reinforce the inequitable gender structure of these congregations.

The Third Shift

Chapter 5 presents dual expectations women pastors face in relation to their pastoral responsibilities at work as well as how they go about being a wife and mother, commonly referred to as the “second shift.” Women pastors are often expected to take on the lion’s share of household responsibilities. Therefore, congregants assume that they are pulled more between home and work than men, thus resulting in congregants doubting their ability to do it all. Finally, Chapter 5 demonstrates the traditional role of pastor’s wife and how some congregants implicitly assume that the work of pastors will be complemented by the unpaid work of their spouses. Pastors’ wives typically face more congregational expectations than pastors’ husbands, often leaving women pastors in heteronormative relationships to pick up some of the traditional pastor’s wife responsibilities in addition to their own responsibilities both at home and work; I refer to this phenomenon as the “third shift.”

Introduction

This chapter begins with a narrative of gathering at the Nevertheless, She Preached conference. It offers a more personal connection to those experiencing gendered hurdles associated with the stained-glass ceiling, introduces the research setting, and presents the research questions. It also introduces the notion of sexism without sexists and connects this phenomenon to sexist patterns within progressive religious congregations as well as broader society. The chapter presents current national statistics demonstrating women pastors’ underrepresentation in other predominantly Christian denominations as well as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship specifically, surveys existing research on the stained-glass ceiling, and identifies the gaps in the literature. Finally, this introductory chapter provides a historical overview of the theoretical framework of gender structure. Given that this book is intended for those studying gender as well as religious professionals and churchgoers, time is allowed for dismantling gender essentialism and explaining the concepts of gender, gendered organizations, and gender structure. Additionally, the introduction provides a description of the methodology and the congregations included in the study and concludes with chapter summaries.